Abyssal Knight

The Abyssal Knight is a fighter serving Lugonu the Unformed, ruler of the Abyss. They are granted some power over the Abyss, and must spread death and disorder in return.

Abyssal Knights are warriors sent from the Abyss by Lugonu, the god of corruption and chaos. Their purpose is to spread bloodshed and disorder in the Dungeon, and must do so unflaggingly to earn Lugonu's favour.

Strategy

Abyssal Knights start their game in the the Abyss with enough piety to use Lugonu's Depart the Abyss ability. There is little benefit to wandering the Abyss before leaving, as the items generated for you are of the same value and rarity as you will find on Dungeon:1, while the monsters are far, far worse. That being said, the piety cost of this ability is somewhat high. There is usually an exit located near your starting area, but don't risk fighting anything found here at level 1.

Abyssal Knights begin with melee-oriented skills, supplemented by Lugonu's invocations (as they are earned). These powers include a blink-like ability, banishment of enemies, corruption of levels, and easy travel to and from the Abyss. These are mainly defensive abilities, and help an otherwise melee character out of tight spots. Of course, your Abyssal Knight is free to branch into ranged combat or magic should you wish to, and doing so eventually is strongly advised. Lugonu does not have any stringent requirements, and awards piety for all kills, making it easy to play an Abyssal Knight in any way you like.

Serving Lugonu has the advantage of making the abyssal rune easier to acquire; the rune is generated earlier for Lugonu worshippers and they can escape the Abyss much more easily than anyone else. Getting banished to the Abyss is also not the death sentence for Abyssal Knights that it is for low-level characters of other backgrounds. Also, the corruption ability makes it easy to disrupt well-guarded vaults, making it very useful when coupled with Apportation for grabbing runes without actually fighting its guardians.